Daria went into the lab to buy the test kit because I was concerned about being recognized. We used swabs to collect the samples and Daria returned the kit to the lab.
I took the redhead’s hands in mine and said, “I hope the test comes back positive. I want a sister.”
She grinned. “Me too.”
“Want to hang out for a while?” I asked hopefully.
“I’d like to, but I have to go to work.”
“Oh, okay. What time are the test results supposed to be ready?”
“Noon tomorrow,” Daria reminded me. “Meet at the lab then?”
“Yeah, see you then. Fingers crossed.” We hugged and went our separate ways.
That night I dreamed of Daria, and in the dream she was my girlfriend, not my sister. When I woke, I wasn’t sure which test outcome I preferred. It’d be interesting to have a secret sister, but she might make an awesome girlfriend. I tugged on my nipples and wondered if she liked girls.
==
DECEMBER 10
In the morning I went to the Trust office. “How are you feeling, Ellie?” Crystal inquired. “I was worried about you after you rushed out of the memorial service.”
“The service was tough,” I admitted, “but I’m okay now, thanks. I walked around a lot and cleared my head.” I couldn’t tell her how meeting my possible-sister buoyed my spirits. “It would’ve been much worse if I’d known them. How are you holding up?”
“I’m fine, thank you,” Crystal said. “The service helped. It was a nice tribute.”
Crystal and Jack Warner gave me some financial materials to review but I couldn’t focus. At eleven o’clock I gave up and headed for the lab.
It wasn’t even 11:30 when I arrived, but Daria was already seated outside on a bench. We hugged and I asked, “Are you as anxious to get the results as I am?”
She nodded. “I couldn’t sleep last night,” she admitted.
Daria went in the lab to find out if the DNA test results were available yet. She came back out carrying a sealed envelope. We opened the envelope and read the results together.
There was a lot of technical jargon and data, but suffice to say that Daria and I had the same father.
Daria squealed and wrapped her arms around me. “We’re sisters!” she rejoiced.
My arms wrapped around her too, and I laughed out loud with joy. I surprised myself by how happy the news made me.
Daria cried and that got me started, but they were happy tears of course so we soon giggled and wiped each others eyes.
We went for a walk.
“We’re a lot alike,” I observed. “Tall and slim. Similar arms and legs. The same little butts.”
My little sister turned, wiggled her butt at me and laughed. “Your boobs are bigger,” she pointed out. “Mine are only As.”
“Mine are Bs. Not exactly huge.”
“We have the same eyes.”
I peered into her eyes and saw it was true. “We do! The same blue green.”
“You don’t have all these stupid freckles.”
“I like your freckles!” I exclaimed. “And your red hair. Beautiful.”
“Thanks.” She blushed the way she often did.
“You’re more bashful than me,” I teased.
She blushed deeper red. “I’ve always been that way.”
I grinned. “If I keep talking about you, will you blush deeper and deeper red?”
“Probably,” she replied and giggled.
I stopped walking and hugged her. “You’re super cute. Are you in a relationship?”
“No. I don’t have much luck with boys. What about you?”
“I like girls, but I don’t have a girlfriend at the moment.”
Her eyebrows raised and I hoped she didn’t have something against lesbians. “Oh,” she said and bit her lower lip. “How long have you known?”
“Since I was 16,” I answered, then probed, “Have you ever wondered about yourself?”
“What? About being a lesbian?”
“Yeah. I mean, we’re sisters so maybe we’re the same that way too?”
Daria was silent for a long moment. “I can’t talk about it.”
“Why not? I’m your big sister, Daria. You can tell me anything. Have you ever been attracted to a girl?”
It took her another long moment to gather her courage. “I have a picture of you on my phone,” she admitted. “I found it online. It’s of you at a concert, playing guitar. You look so beautiful that sometimes I just stare at it.” She covered her face with her hands in embarrassment.
I chuckled. “Don’t be embarrassed. That’s cute.”
“It is?”
“I like that you’re into me.” I used my phone to take a picture of her. “Now we have pictures of each other on our phones.”
A shy smile formed on her face.
We started walking again. I held her hand, and she was timid about it at first but eventually interlocked her fingers with mine.
I guided us to my apartment, while we laughed about some of the awful dates we’d been on. I stopped out front and said, “My apartment is up there, on the top floor.”
“Nice!” Daria exclaimed. Even the exterior of the building looked luxurious.
When I took her inside, my sister had the same reaction to my apartment that I had. “Oh my god!” Daria gasped.
“Not bad, huh.”
“It’s huge! And so fancy!”
I showed her around the living room, balcony, kitchen, master bedroom and master bath.
Back in the living room, I suggested on the spur of the moment, “Move in with me.”
“What?”
“Move in with me,” I repeated. “The second bedroom is just as awesome as the rest of this place. You’ll love it.”
“I can’t.”
“Why not?”
“What will people think?”
I shrugged. “We’ll tell them this big place is lonely and I wanted my friend here for company,” I suggested. “Besides, we’re rich girls and rich girls don’t care what anyone thinks.”
“I’m not rich,” Daria said.
“You are now. I’m going to share my money with you.”
“Ellie! You don’t have to do that.”
“I want to. You deserve the money as much as me,” I argued.
“I don’t know.”